Here are some good things about the Pinto:
-- The camshaft can be swapped in about 20 minutes
-- The entire head can be replaced in about 30 minutes.
-- The starter; about 15 minutes to replace.
-- The starter solenoid was in a convenient place on the
wheel well that was conducive to hotwiring
-- A manual tranny could be had for about $45 at any
junkyard
-- Ditto for the rack and pinion steering.
-- The headliner was cardboard, and optional
I bought a new Pinto in 1971. In 11 months I had it back to Ford 13 times to attempt to get it to stop dieseling backwards when I shut it off. It would do this for up to 10 minutes at a time and the only way to stop it was to shut it off in gear. (I traded it off after 11 months, dumbest purchase I ever made.).
If I remember correctly, you had to unbolt the right side engine mount and jack up the engine to get the starter out; saw one fall when a lift failed and the jackstand poked a hole in the hood when it slipped off the engine.